Cambridgeshire organ donors have been posthumously honoured for giving the gift of life to others at a special awards ceremony.

Six people from the county were among those to receive the Order of St John award for Organ Donation, run in conjunction with NHS Blood and Transplant, was which was given to their families and loved ones on their behalf.

The private awards ceremony was held at Peterborough Town Hall, with the awards presented by HM Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Sir Hugh Duberly.

It was one of a number of regional ceremonies held across the UK between September and December which recognised the 1,364 people who donated their organs after death last year, leading to thousands of patients’ lives being saved or transformed.

Father-of-one Andrew Williamson, from Waterbeach, received the award on behalf of his wife, Heather, who died in the summer last year just three weeks after contracting a rare autoimmune disease, Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM).

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The 32-year-old was only the fourth non-beating heart donation in the UK, a landmark procedure developed at Papworth Hospital which was carried out for the first time last year in response to the world wide shortage of donor hearts.

Andrew, 33, said they were both very keen on organ donation and the decision was a “no brainer”.

“For me it was very simple. She and I were both very keen on the idea,” he said. “Try and think of yourself in the same situation as the recipient who knows the odds are stacked against them.

Heather pictured with her daugter Amy, at 18 months old.

"You can think of that family hoping against hope the phone will ring. I think it’s a wonderful thing out of a tragic situation that this has been able to save a life.”

He said of the ceremony: “It was a very moving service. I was very touched they took the time to recognise what Heather had done.”

Since her death, a memorial garden has been created at Longsands Academy, in St Neots, for Heather where she worked as a science teacher.

Patricia Sheridan, 73, of Longstanton, also received the award on behalf of her brother, John Golding, who passed away on October 4, last year after suffering a pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest. The 67-year-old who lived in Colne, donated two kidneys and heart tissue.

Patricia said: “The more you can advertise it the better. All our family members have been put down for transplants. When you come up against it you see how good it can be.”

Other recipients included Jamie Sewell, of St Ives, who received the award on behalf of his father, Keith ‘George’ Sewell and Andrew Herbert, of Cambridge, who received the award on behalf of his wife, Jane.

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During 2015/16, thanks to the generosity of these donors and the support of their families, the number of deceased donors in the UK went up from 1,282 to 1,364, a rise of six per cent.

However there are still around 6,500 people on the UK transplant waiting list and around three people die each day in need of an organ.

Ivan Palmer MBE K StJ, Chair of the Cambridgeshire County Priory Group of the Order of St John, said: “Organ donation can clearly save lives and it is a genuine privilege to be able to say thank you to these families, whose loved ones have already donated their organs to assist others.

“In 2016 around three people still die every day due to the shortage of organ donors. We hope the example set by the organ donors whose lives we are honouring today encourages many others to join the NHS Organ Donor Register – a process which takes just a few minutes online.”